Alphabet Soup
by Mr.PineAppleFlayva
Summary: Follow Lovina, a high-strung teenager raised in the city of Chicago, and her fellow companion Antonio, a happy-go-lucky foreign exchange student from Barcelona, in their mini adventures and memorable moments, all starting with Alphabet Soup!
1. Chapter 1: A is for Alphabet Soup!

**Alphabet Soup**

**Chapter One: A is for Alphabet Soup!**

Lovina woke up Monday morning feeling as if she was hung-over with a dosage of vodka and fruit punch. Her head throbbed; every so often the pain would beat against her noggin which made her cry out in pain when a single ray of light entered her vision. A feverish chill racked her weakened body causing her to pull her sheets closer towards her, not that it really helped. She still felt cold.

"I knew it was a bad idea to go walk out the house without an umbrella." She moaned, wiping the pool of snot collecting above her upper lip.

Fortunately her younger brother Feliciano wasn't around to keep obnoxious noise in her head, as her grandparents ventured about the city since the crack of dawn. Lovina smiled inwardly; at least she could recuperate in peace for once.

Suddenly a knock interrupted her sleep…damn she spoke too soon…

It seemed as if the knock gotten louder every second she spent in bed trying to ignore it. Well damn this person!

"I'm coming!" she croaked. Lovina regretted sliding off the side of her bed; the cold wooden floors burned her feet. The light-headed, dizzy sensation washed over her , making Lovina nauseated. She hoped she wouldn't have to spill last nights' dinner on her floor.

Lovina dragged herself down the hallway towards the source of the echoing knocks at the front door, just to reveal a young man about her age greet her with a bright Colgate approved smile, and a small basket of tomatoes.

"Ah, Buenos Dias signora, my name is Anton-"Lovina slammed the door in his face. If she were anyone else, she probably would not have rudely cut the guy off with the slam of her front door, but contently stare into his lush, emerald green eyes that would hypnotize any girl desperate of a boyfriend. However, Lovina was not like most girls her age. Lovina would rather push that idea aside and strip any attractive male of his pride. Who said girls had to act like the damsel in distress?

So when Lovina saw men pop into her view, preferably ones that talk, walks, and acts like the one at her front door, she would shut down the opportunity to affiliate with him, on instinct of course.

With her chest swelling with a sudden burst of satisfaction, Lovina grinned to herself, and then stalked off into her bedroom.

xXx

Antonio clasped his bruised nose in one hand while the other clasped onto the small basket of tomatoes. "Aye Santo!" he cursed under his breath. All he wanted was to send these tomatoes to his neighbors under his mother's request!

Just recently, Antonio moved into the rowdy city of Chicago. Therefore, he had no friends, barely any family, and seldomly struggled speaking the language from time-to-time.

Before moving into America, Antonio heard rumors about how rambunctious Americans behaved. He didn't actually believe in these rumors, until some of the stereotypes proved how significant they were in the culture of the city he moved into.

Chicago was nothing like Barcelona. That was one thing Antonio had in mind throughout the entire trip. That, and he couldn't wait to see his new home. Unlike his older siblings, Antonio looked forward to the new chapter in their life, even if his started with a rude awakening when a sickly girl slammed her front door in his face without a second thought.

_He wasn't obnoxious was he? Did he stink? Did he smile too much? What if she was just in a bad mood?_ Antonio shrugged. He liked to think of all the possibilities why people did what they did; however, pondering about such nonsense on a stranger's front porch does not benefit him in any way.

Antonio rubbed his sore nose in his sleeve, drawing a bit of blood from the internal wound. Great, now a nose bleed.

If he were to come back home with a bloody nose, his mother would raise an unholy fit. Antonio sighed; he guessed he had to be persistent with this one.

Antonio wearily raised his fist to knock on the door for the second time, but before he could the door slammed open once again. Antonio quickly covered his nose, feeling the blood ooze from his nostrils. _'This is awkward.' _

The girl glared up at him, not that it intimidated Antonio. Instead he secretly awed at her beauty, like the way her small nose crinkled up when she frowned at him, or how her glassy hazel eyes seemed to pierce right into his soul. Even the gravity defying curl that jutted out from her hair made her appear more…attractive?

_"Aye que linda,"_ he muttered under his breath; however, that comment did not slip past her radar no matter how deaf she was at the moment.

"I am not cute." She pouted. Antonio chuckled, "Oh, I didn't know you knew Spanish! My name is Antonio," Antonio was going to shake her hand, until he realized that it was covered in blood.

Lovina stared at him unbelievingly. _So not only is he bastard, but he's also a dumb, tomato bastard…_

Antonio laughed sheepishly, "Well…uh, I just moved here, and my mother wanted me to come to the neighbor's house and send this as a gift. Personally, I'm not even sure if you like tomatoes but she insisted. I'm sure you could make use of these somehow..."

Antonio handed the basket of vegetables to her and started off back to his house without another word. He swore he never felt so awkward talking to a girl in his life!

Lovina glanced down at the basket at her hands, and back towards his leaving form down the sidewalk. Maybe becoming friends with the bastard may not be such a bad idea, and maybe perhaps tending his wound would not be such a bad idea either. After all, these tomatoes sure did look good. _I wonder if he would send me some more if I become friends with him..._

" Oi, bastardo!" To her amusement, Antonio jerked his head at the sound of her voice. Lovina slipped on her shoes and chased after him down the street, passing by neighbors in with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders until she finally met up with him near his house.

"I finally caught up with you, bastard." she heaved. _Maybe running wasn't such a smart idea, oh well, too late now. As Lovina recovered her breathing, _Antonio politely remained silent, waiting patiently for her to speak. _Oh yes, take your sweet time, it's not like you broke my nose or anything! _

"As nice as a Lady your mother seems, I don't think she would appreciate it if her son came to her door step with a bloody nose. Come by my house, and I'll make some tomato soup."

Antonio grinned, _maybe this girl isn't so bad after all...maybe._ "I have some alphabet noodles. We can use that for the soup?"

Lovina scowled, "If you must. I don't know what the deal is with alphabet soup."

"But it's fun! You get to make words and stuff! " Of coarse, only Antonio ever indulged in his childish tendencies.

"You're so childish!"

"Aw, don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, I'm just annoyed!"

"Same thing!"

-And here goes the start of the lovely couple, not that they knew that they would become a couple, but it's waiting to happen sooner or later.


	2. Chapter 2: D is for Dress up!

**Alphabet Soup**

**Chapter Four: D is for Dress up!**

Antonio stared blankly into the neon green empty plastic tea cup. It was Saturday, a perfect day to kick back, and do things Antonio wanted such as playing basketball, or perhaps swinging over to Gilbert's house. But no, instead he's cooped up the house, more specifically in his sister's room.

This is what Antonio gets for popping out into the world last, after his older sister and older brother. In life, there were some kids that grew up as an only child who wished to have at least one sibling, no matter how old he/she is, just as long as they have the company, as there are those who have siblings, but wish to be an only child. Antonio was neither in the two categories, but at the moment, he wished he were an only child. At least then he would not have to put up with his sisters, and their strange obsessions for cross-dressing him.

Carmen, the oldest sister, took a step back to adore herself in the mirror, swishing around in her newly bought sundress from the local shopping boutique down the street. _"Es Perfecto!"_ she giggled. Antonio drawled out on her bed, not giving a hoot how good the dress looked on her. In fact, he personally thought it would look better on Lovina, but he wouldn't actually admit that out loud, now would he?

"_Tonio, que paso?"_ Antonio glanced up at her sister, then back down at his cup, and sighed. What could he possibly tell her? He didn't exactly enjoy spending time with his sister, well at least not with Carmen. Carmen was too girly for his liking, and she was boring. All she ever talked about was cloths, herself, seldomly football, but mostly cloths.

Antonio glanced over to Carmen, noticing her back was turn to him, as she fixed her hair in a pinned up-do that was too cliché for him. Taking this opportunity, Antonio slowly put the cup down on her night stand, and rose from her lavender covered bed without creaking. Then, he took his leave into the vacant hallway in one piece. Antonio smirked in victory, _now all I have to do is make it out the front door without getting caught!_

Antonio skipped quietly down the hall; the front door was so close yet so far. Just before he made it past his brother's room, Antonio's back pocket began vibrating.

* * *

** From: Lovina R. Vargas**

**To: Antonio F. Carriedo**

_**Bastard! Where are you?! I've been waiting all morning for you at the court!**_

* * *

Antonio sighed, he knew he should have been there an hour ago.

* * *

**From: Antonio F. Carriedo**

**To: Lovina R. Vargas**

_**I'm sorry, I'll be there in a few. Ttyl.**_

* * *

**From: Lovina R. Vargas**

**To: Antonio F. Carriedo**

_**You better, or I'll come over there and kick your ss!**_

* * *

Antonio was just about to shut his phone, and successfully walk out the door when a small hand tugged the trimming of his shirt. Whipping around, he found his younger sister, Eva.

Eva was a scrawny little thing that would always find a way to manipulate your emotions to benefit her, and it you couldn't help but obey those lovely green puppy eyes , and the pouting she perfected over her short years. Eva was only five, but she knew how to pull on Antonio's strings to make him do whatever she wanted to do. In this case, it seemed as if she wanted to play with her dolls.

Antonio smiled warmly at her sister; although, he was growing a little impatient. He should be out the door already, running to the nearest basketball court where everyone was waiting for him.

"Yes Eva?" Eva grinned shyly at her brother, hiding her face in his shirt. _"Tu puede jugar conmigo?" _Did Antonio really want to play with her? Yes, if he didn't have to go anywhere.

Antonio stooped down to eye level with his sister, "_Lo siento, pero no puedo. Tengo que ir a alguna parte_." Eva frowned.

"_¿adónde?" _

Antonio contemplated about telling her his whereabouts, _"¿Puedo jugar__contigo mañana__?"_

Eva shook her head, _"No!" _

Antonio dramatically gasped in shock, _"No?"_

Eva renounced her previous answer with more vigor, _"No!" _

Antonio sighed in defeat. How was he to nicely convince his little sister that he's not going to be home for awhile? _Then it hit him._

"_Eva?"_ the little girl glanced up at her older brother with glassy eyes. Antonio wiped her sorrowful tears away, and made his proposition, hoping that she would give in.

"_¿Quieres __venir conmigo?"_ Eva's frown gradually made it's turn, lighting up her bright eyes.

"_¿adónde?_" Antonio grinned_. "Porque no puede ir salir si estas triste." _

Eva smirked, "Sólo con una condición…."

* * *

Antonio scampered up the hill with his little sister, praying to god that he won't have to relive this moment. Who would have known that in order to get out the house this weekend, he would need to dress up as a prince? Eva would not slip the opportunity past her. If her older brother refused to play dolls with her, then why not make him into a doll? That way, her brother could still play with her in humiliation, and she gets to enjoy the attention. Plus, the fact that her brother dressed up as prince charming became more entertaining than playing with a 6 inch figurine.

From the top of the hill, the group that patiently waited for Antonio to arrive came into view, and it seemed like they were in the midst of an intense ball game. Antonio secretely admired the way Lovina stole the ball away from Francis, then aimed right into the basket flawlessly. You would swear that the girl was related to someone in the NBA, but she's not. Lovina was just busy doing what she loved, playing ball with her friends on an average Saturday afternoon.

"Oi look who it is!" Gilbert hollared, pointing his index finger directly over towards them. _Crap! _

While Antonio mentally berraded himself to come up with an elligable excuse, Eva raced down the hill with her church dress flowing behind her.

"Eva, _Cuidarse_!" Antonio hurridly ran down the steep hill side, managing to not trip over the random rocks that jutted out from the ground.

Eva was already at the base of the hill, greeting Antonio's friends, especially Lovina.

"Lovi!" Eva dashed over to the older girl, ready to pounce on her whether Lovina paid enough attention, or not. Luckily, Lovina's reflexes came into use, as she lifted the girl off the frown, and spinned her around in a heart warming hug.

"_Ciao_ Eva, my you've gotten heavy." Lovina smiled, putting the girl gently back on the ground.

"You like my dress? I'm a princess today, and Tonio is the Prince. He didn't wanna play dolls with me, so i make him dress up like one. " Lovina chuckled as the guys teased her friend endlessy.

"You're terrible, you know that? But that's what makes you sooo cute~" Eva grinned. Lovina was probably the only girl that her brother hung out with, other than that Belgian chica back home. Eva didn't like her as much as she liked Lovina. Perhaps it was the similarity Eva's and Lovina's personality? Who knows.

_Maybe that's why Tonio likes Lovi so much, _Eva shrugged.

* * *

Lovina spared with Antonio for the rest of the afternoon, often commenting on how gay he looked in his outfit. Nonoftheless, Antonio continued to smile, atleast he was finally able to go out, and his sister is happy playing with them.

"You know what Tonio?" Eva passed the ball over towards him, and back to Lovina.

"Yes?"

"If you're the prince, then who is your princess?"

"You"

"Me? But i'm your sister!"

"Ok, then who?"

Eva glanced between him , and the bashful teenager standing across from them. "Lovina can be _your _princess!" Eva knew that once those words flew out of her mouth, she could not take them back. Lovina flushed fushia pink, "_Oh YOU LITTLE-"_

Before Lovina can fly into a sprint after the little runt, Antonio caught her firmly wrapping his arms around her small waist. "_It will be my honor~"_

Lovina turned her head away in embarrassment, attempting to push the playful teen off of her. Eva and the other watched in utter amusement, the whole game long forgotten.

"Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!" they chanted, Gilbert having started the chant.

Lovina clammed under the peer pressure, but Antonio reacted otherwise.

Unexpectedly, Antonio gained enough courage to submit under his fans request, which made Lovina's heart flutter to the point of bursting. Lovina stood absolutely still, not knowing how to react. All of a sudden, Antonio's eyes weren't filled with the previous childish joy, bright and full of energy, but more….lustful perhaps?

"B…bastard, w-w-what are you d-doing?" Lovina panicked. If he kissed her today, that would be her first kiss with anyone outside her family. _How would Nonno take it? Would he jump with joy? Would he collaspe with a heart attack? Would she collapse of an anxiety attack?!_

Lovina was too much into her own thoughts to notice how close Antonio suddenly bécame, until a warm sensation timidly touched her forehead. Lovina's eyes widened a fraction.

"AW C'MON MAN! YOU COULD'VE KISSED HER ON THE MOUTH!"

"SHUT IT GILBERT!"

_**Pang!**_

"Oww… where'd you get the skillet?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out~"

"Ohononon~ I just love amor"

"Francis, You are _so_ weird."

But Francis wasn't wrong, he knew that love came in all forms, whether it was between homosexuals, heterosexuals, or the occasional Asexual; however, in this case, it was between an ill-tempered Italian with an exceptional prince charming cosplayer, along with a sprout of an egotistical albino and a girls' frying pan.

_Ah, Love._

* * *

**Lovely Translations:**

**Spanish- **

**Es perfecto!: It's perfect!**

**_Tonio, que paso_?: Tonio, What's up?/What's going on? *in a concerned gesture***

**Tu puede jugar conmigo?: Can you play with me?**

**_Lo siento, pero no puedo. Tengo que ir a alguna parte_: I'm sorry, but I can't. I have to go out. **

**Adonde?: Where?**

**_¿Puedo jugar __contigo mañana__?: Can I play with you tomorrow?_**

**___¿Quieres __venir conmigo?: Do you want to come with me?_**

**___ Porque no puede ir salir si estas triste: But I don't want you to be sad if I go out. _**

**___Sólo con una condición….: Only on one condition..._**

**_____Cuidarse_!: Be careful!**

**___Italian- _**

**___Ciao! : Hey! *as in a greeting* _**

**___And that's all! 8D, those are the rough translations that I could make out. I'm not a native Spanish speaker, but I happen to pick up the lingo due to my environment. If you think these are incorrect, feel free to comment on it, I won't mind 8D. _**

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed. I will try to update at least once a week. I'm doing these chapters out of order, because well, it's _alphabet soup, _the letters are always scrambled. xD**

**- By (whom is ironically not a man, but a teenage girl in high school. Peace & Chicken Grease! ;3)**


	3. Chapter 3: B is for Broken!

**Alphabet Soup**

**Chapter Three: B is for Broken**

Remember when you were a child, and you wanted to know what it was like the break your leg?

Only because you wanted to know what it was like to get all the attention, walk around campus with neon colored caste, and have your friends randomly scribble their names on it?

You didn't realize how much pain you had to endure, or how irritating it must be when that one area of your injured limb continued to itch, and you would squirm in agony because you could not touch it.

Lovina happened to be that lucky girl one fateful day.

* * *

"AUGH!" she yelped, mostly at the impact on the ground rather than the intense pain that should have followed. All she could hear before she landed by the cold prickly grass was the sickening crack that erupted by her ankle.

It all happened too fast, as one moment she was dribbling the ball across the court, physically preparing to make a dunk into the orange ring that hovered above the her head; then the next she's lying on the cold hard concrete, clutching her severely sprained ankle.

Lovina continued to lie on the ground, and amazingly none of the other players even paid her any mind until Gilbert happened to trip over her in the process of screening Elizaveta. "Hey, why are you still lying on the ground? You almost tripped me, and I was about to show _butch, pan-face_ over here how _**awesome**_ I am!"

If Lovina did not feel the intense throbbing that pounded on her foot, she may have made a snappy come-back about how delirious he sounded, but she couldn't and that startled Gilbert.

"_Ehhh, you don't look so hot Shorty, did you break something?"_

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Where does it hurt?"_

"_Uh, guys, maybe we should giv-"_

"_Oh maybe she fainted from the heat? I'd love to give her some mouth-to-mouth~" _

"_Francis, it's 60 something degrees, it is not hot!" _

"_Oh you're just saying that because you're not used to this weather, silly boy~"_

Lovina wanted to cry out in pain. The obnoxious dialogue spewing over her head, combined with the intense aches and horrendous swelling around her right foot made the experience unbearable. Fortunately, _for once_, Antonio noticed her anguish as he almost always appeared oblivious to his surroundings. He scrutinized her fetal position, the way she cupped her hands around her right ankle, and how she grunted in pain.

_Could she have possibly broken her ankle?_

"Ok, everyone listen up!" Antonio cleared his throat to draw all their attention on him. "Who has a cell phone- oh okay, Ludwig, I want you to call Lovi's grandpa, and ask him to pick Lovina up. Tell him that she broke her foot, alright?"

Ludwig swiftly dialed the number, knowing Feli's number by heart since he often visits the Vargas's. "He said that he's coming momentarily, but what should we do now?"

Antonio racked his brain for another thing to keep the group occupied. "I guess you guys can continue to practice, I'll look after Lovina by the gate."

Everyone seemed to agree upon this, as they had no other reason to object. Antonio seemed to grasp the situation more firmly than everyone else at the moment.

Gilbert hauled Elizaveta with him back to the other side of the court, in the process of slapping her behind which caused the Hungarian to chase him down to tackle him with such ferocity. Ludwig lingered near them, collecting their sports equipment while Francis busied himself by flirting with a group of older women, preparing to play a quick match of tennis. Antonio rolled his eyes, _I have such amazing friends_.

* * *

Antonio moved closer to Lovina, squatting down beside her to check on her. "B-bastard, what do you w-want?" she hissed, grunting as she tried to sit up. Her foot felt like a heavy slab of goo, flapping miserably whenever she moved. It was like her bones were dislocated, and crushed into tiny fragments underneath her skin, it couldn't actually be that bad, _could it_?

Lovina snapped out of her trance when a wave of sharp, staggering pain shot up her leg. Her breathe hitched, as she cried out in distress. "S-S-S-Stop!" she wailed. Antonio halted, raising his hands up in defense. All he did was lightly pinch her wound, but he had no idea how sensitive the area appeared. Now he managed to encourage Lovina to silently weep while he attempted to calm her down with no such luck.

"Lovi, please don't cry! I-I'm sorry, I d-d-didn't mean to make you cry!" Antonio pleaded as his eyes grew glassy. He hated it when people cried, especially when he became the primary cause of it. A shadow of guilt swept over his heart when Lovina continued to bawl her eyes out, obviously not caring whether she was in public for all eyes to witness her actions, or not. Antonio sat patiently next to her, wishing for some spurt of inspiration that could help him, to help her. But what did he know? He never had to tend as anyone's aid before so how would know how to calm down a rowdy, teenage girl? It's not like Lovina was a little girl that would believe him when he said that he could kiss her boo-boo all better… _THAT'S IT!_ _He'll kiss it all better!_

Antonio glanced over to Lovina; she seemed to cease her heavy tears, and the way her plush, pink lips formed into an acute pout made the stare more worthwhile for him. Antonio would never say this out loud, but he adored the way Lovina would childishly pout. In fact, just staring at her tear stained face along with that lovely pout made his eyes want to rot away, and decompose into sugar. There were many things about this girl that he absolutely loved; however, voicing it seemed a bit too extreme, since they were still in the friend zone, which killed his self esteem.

To put it simply, Antonio grew a small…_ok maybe not so small_, but it his feelings for Lovina escalated each and every day spent with her. And he just formulated this insane idea to kiss her _boo-boo_ away, like a nightmare!

What is he thinking? Lovina would most definitely tie him down, lock him up in a dusty casket, and toss him into the pit of despair before he even tries that foolishness.

His ponderings were cut short when a sudden weight pressed down on his right side. Antonio jerked his head around to view a head full of auburn hair lean limply on him. Did she fall asleep?

Indeed she did, Lovina nodded off into a deep slumber, the pain must have knocked her unconscious. Antonio took this as his opportunity to steal a chaste kiss without her knowing. As silently as he could, Antonio pressed his lips against the peak of her forehead. He felt the warmth radiating off her paled skin. Antonio brushed the hairs away from her eyes, and lightly caressed her smooth, medium thick brows. Her expression seemed to soften under his touch, and if he squinted hard enough, there was a small smile that uplifted the corners of her mouth.

* * *

Antonio continued to gaze at her longingly, until the arrival of her grandfather, along with Lovina's little brother which broke his trance.

"LOVINA!" Antonio silently cursed as Feliciano stirred Lovina awake. Her relatives hoisted her up as they led her into the car to take her to the hospital, as Antonio followed behind to see her off.

"I guess I won't be seeing you at school for awhile?" Lovina shrugged, "I don't know, but you better visit me bastard! You of all people should know that I don't like being kept indoors!"

Antonio smiled and waved, as shouted his parting words, "ok, adios Lovi, _Stammi bene!*_"

Lovina stared back confused as Feliciano smothered his giggling from the back seat, and the grandfather shook his head. "That boy needs some lessons. I think he means _rimettiti presto*_."

* * *

**My goodness, I am terribly sorry this chapter took so long D8 **

** You all probably thought I abandoned this little ABC Sesame story, huh? Well I'll let you know that I _haven't_. In fact, I've been working on a multitude of chapters since the last time I updated, problem is that my summer so far has been quite a handful-juggling reading 3 books for next year with assigned activities for each (like outlines and citations), an online class, and other things that may come my way (B-day parties, family/friend time, you know the deal xD) . **

**However, I'll try my best to update as much as possible!**

**-By the way, this chapter was based on my experience when I was in 7th grade, and I severely sprained my right ankle. Obviously I over exaggerated on Lovi's injury since I would imagine breaking a bone would be 10x's more painful than fracturing it, but the concept of how she got injured, and how no one noticed her lying there was the exact same thing. Only differences included the fact that she had someone to look after her, she was far away from home, and she was playing basketball. -**

**Lovely translations:**

**Stammi bene *- As I looked this phrase up, it's something in the nature of "I hope you in good health" or "Stay in Health", stuff that you would most likely put in cards or letters for relatives and friends. Which is why everyone was like: _What did he say?_ Apparently, It's not appropriate to say that to an ill/injured person xD. **

**Rimettiti Presto*- Translates more accurately to say "Get well soon" or "Get better soon", in a non-formal way since Antonio is Lovina's friend in the story. This is what Antonio meant when he blurted out "Stammi bene" to Lovina. **

**With out further ado, please stay tuned for Chapter Four: F is for Finals! 8D (which is also based on my friends and I). **


End file.
